Definitely Rusty..

I should have taken one look at the forecast last night, rubbed my hands together, possibly cackled in an eeeevil manner, then gone seawatching today.

Instead I had a lie-in. I did end up at Prawle, albeit this afternoon. With the Folks. And a Little Black Dog Who Does Not Like To Stay Still. Or Quiet.

Given that it was seawatching weather, with a strong WSW and drizzle come rain, I was impressed that said Folks were not only willing to go out but also get almost to Peartree Point before deciding to call it a day and look for somewhere sheltered. [We had brought coffee and biccies, being Not Entirely Daft] There were quite a few people around, too - though they became fewer and fewer as the rain resolutely refused to go away.

It was quite a nice walk, actually. Not at all cold [easy to forget it's June]. Loads of flowers. Birds, too. I counted 29 species, with Cirl Buntings, Yellowhammers and what looked like one of those CirlxYellowhammer Hybrid? Things [see the DBN blog for photos of another one]. Land birds were pretty thin though, with the howling wind and all. At sea things were different, with Gannets and Kittiwakes passing close inshore, and several groups of the former lingering to fish. We were treated to 9 very close in off Lannacombe Beach while we sat in the lee of the wall for afternoonses. All of them seemed to be subadults, some very near to breeding plumage. Beneath the white rain, a few surface fishers braved the waves - a couple of auks plus assorted Shags and Cormorants. Tilbury amused herself by chewing chunks of driftwood to bits, before enjoying several bits of kelp stalk. Yes, my Mum's Mad Dog likes eating seaweed...

The Gannets were spectacular and very close, as was the sea, with a good swell coming in on the rising tide. One kid on a bodyboard was the only surfer brave enough to venture in, with a few nutty yachts and a big racing powerboat offshore. Also in the sea on the way back, a pretty Grey Seal bobbing in a sheltered cove.


There were no corvids [with or without red bits] at Berry Pomeroy...